In a business climate as turbulent and quickly changing as today’s, to stand still is to fall behind. Continually evolving company strategy to tackle challenges and embrace opportunities is key to running a successful truck fleet operation. It’s no different with business publishing.

And so I’m both proud and excited to announce the next evolution in the ability of this magazine to better serve the needs of its readers and advertisers. As of this date onward, Motortruck has become part of an expanded family of editorial products tailored to serve the needs of professionals in the industry. Combined, these properties have a national circulation of more than 140,000 in Canada and provide industry-leading access to both providers and buyers of transportation services. This dynamic family includes two other market leading truck-transportation related news magazines – Truck News and Truck West, and Canada’s oldest and most respected magazine serving the information needs of shippers, freight forwarders and third-party logistics providers, Canadian Transportation & Logistics. Also part of the family is an annual Buyer’s Guide, comprehensive statistical guides, and electronic news products comprising two Web sites, four online directories, two daily news feeds and two weekly e-newsletters. Recently added is a research arm eager to tackle new projects – and we’re not done growing yet.

As Editorial Director of this new family, it is my responsibility to find the synergies created by this large group (and there are many) and put them to use in providing the best information vehicle available to our readers.

Simply put, there is no other news source in the Canadian truck transportation market that can match our new reach and access to resources.

But why the change now?

If I’ve learned anything in my 17 years as a journalist, it’s that the smartest business decisions are almost always linked to the ability to access the right information at the right time. From our end, it’s all about having the resources to provide the research, insight and perspective that gets to the true heart of a matter.

Our transportation group of companies has brought together an editorial team that has no equal in the Canadian marketplace: Five editors, including now a full-time editorial office in Calgary, will drive a news organization that includes more than 20 contributing editors and columnists. I haven’t yet had the chance (it has been a little hectic of late) to calculate the exact number of years of journalism and industry experience this combined team brings to bear, but I can tell you it’s impressive. Add to that a research arm eager to shed light on key industry issues and you can see why we are so excited about the resources now at our disposal.

But this evolution is about more than having lots of new friends. It’s also about having the right friends. As I mentioned earlier, the transportation group of magazines is unique because it has a nation-wide reach of both providers and buyers of transportation services. For you that will mean an editorial product equally capable of reporting and analyzing trends in truck fleet management and providing insights into the issues affecting your key customers.

Many of you will have already received a glimpse into our new capabilities with our groundbreaking Transportation Technology Survey. We have partnered with the Schulich School of Business of York University to conduct research that will help reveal the priorities of the shipping community versus that of motor carriers for investing in technology to improve transportation costs, levels of service and access to information about activity in the supply chain.

To our readers, our advertisers, and, hey, even our competitors, I will say this: Keep an eye on us. We will surprise you; we will inform you, we will impress you. What you can and should expect from Motortruck and the rest of the transportation group of magazines from now on can be summed up in a single word: MORE.